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Insurers put the brakes on young drivers

Several car insurance companies are refusing to offer quotes to 17-year-olds. How can they find cheap car insurance now?

Don’t you wish you were 17 again? Those late nights and lazy mornings… that non-stop social scene… those sky-high car insurance premiums…

OK so even being 17 has its drawbacks. However, if you think that it was just the same ‘in our day’ then think again – because now several insurance companies are refusing to offer young people car insurance quotes at all.

The providers in question include household names such as Axa, Swiftcover and Saga. It seems that to these insurers young people are simply more trouble than they’re worth.

It’s easy to see why when you examine the statistics. Young male drivers aged 17-21 are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash than a motorist over the age of 30. It’s having a knock-on effect too, with this high-rate of accidents helping to hike the premiums of average policyholders from £594 to £629 over the 12 months to January, according to research by the AA's British Insurance Premium Index.

However, while some older drivers would be glad to see the boy racers off the road completely, it seems unfortunate for the high percentage of young drivers who drive perfectly safely to pay for the actions of their peers.

If you are a young driver it’s absolutely crucial therefore that you shop around for car insurance using a car insurance comparison tool such as ours, which compares deals from more car insurance companies than any other comparison tool online.

By doing this you will be able to gather a large number of quotes from dozens of providers to get an overview of what’s available to you. There are some excellent offers on the market at the moment including a brand new £50 cashback deal from the Post Office.

From there, my advice to young drivers is to take every action you can to cut your car insurance premiums.

For example, consider taking an advanced driver’s course, such as the Pass Plus which is usually offered to all young drivers as soon as they receive their licence. Though it will involve some initial outlay, completing this course can cut your car insurance premiums by as much as 35% with some providers.

Consider adding an older relative or friend to your policy too, with their permission of course, and do not go wild when modifying your vehicle – any additions are likely to hike up your insurance costs. The additions that insurers do approve of, however, are any measures you take to enhance the security of your vehicle such as with a certified alarm, immobiliser or steering wheel lock.

If you’re an older driver you too can make savings by following these guidelines. I’d also strongly suggest you give our comparison tool another look as Swiftcover, the UK’s cheapest car insurer, is offering an exclusive £30 cashback deal through our tool. So the cheapest car insurance on average in the UK is actually £30 cheaper if you go through our comparison tool.

Whatever your age, now is not the time to sit on high premiums. The market is primed for your benefit so shop around now.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that any rates mentioned in this article applied at the time of writing and may no longer be applicable today.